Transfer mechanism for progressive headers and the like



May 14, 1957 H. L. HOYT ET AL 2,791,786

TRANSFER MECkIANISM FOR PROGRESSIVE HEADERS AND THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1- a2 61 lTH Z5 v a BY W t ATTOR NEY5 y 1957 H. L. HOYT ET AL 2,791,786

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR PROGRESSIVE HEADERS AND THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W Bl/W M 1 ATTORNEYS May 14, 1957 H. L. HOYT EFAL 2,791,786

TRANSFER MECHANISM FORPROGRESSIVE HEADERS AND THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR M f May 14, 1957 H. L. 'HOYT ETAL 2,791,786

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR PROGRESSIVE HEADERS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 29, 1953 INVENTOR @wwp ATTORNEYS May 14, 1957 H. L. HOYT ETAL 2,791,786

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR PROGRESSIVE HEADERS AND THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 guy f0 25 1N VENTOR ATTORNE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR PROGRESSIVE' HEADER AND THE LIKE Herbert L. Hoyt, Waterbury, and Erwin B. Byam, Wolcott, Conn., assignors to The Waterbury Farrel Foundry & Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application .iune 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,728

12 Claims. (Cl. 10-12) This invention relates to metal-working machines such as a progressive header, nut former or the like, and particularly to transfer mechanism for such devices.

In metal-working machines where a blank is operated States Patent on progressively at a number of stations in the same mafed to the machine. It sometimes occurs that when a new coil or supply of stock is fed into :a machine of this character, a shortened blank will be cut off by the severing mechanism, and it is desirable that'such a blank not be fed to the machine. According to the present arrangement, the operator may by pressing a push button hold the transfer fingers open so that such a workpiece will not :be gripped by them but will be dropped and not carried to the first operating station of the machine.

;0ne object of the invention is the provision of new and improved transfer mechanism for a progressive header or like machine.

I A further object of the invention is to provide trans-- !fer mechanism for a machine of the character described gwherein transfer fingers are'attached to a carrier and provision is made for stopping the motion of the carrier ,at the proper point to align the transfer fingers with the die openings.

, Still another object of the invention is to provide transfer mechanism for a machine of the character de- .scri-bed wherein the carrier for the transfer fingers is operated by a crank mechanism, and provision is made will be pushed out of the transfer fingers to be operated upon at the station to which it has been transferred. The present invention relates to the construction and operation of the transfer mechanism which transfers the blanks from one station to the next.

As illustrated, the apparatus comprises a carrier forthe transfer fingers, which carrier is mounted for movement on the frame of the header or other metalworking In the illustrated mechanism the carrier is and transfer fingers are attached to and carried by the carrier which grip the blank at one station and transfer,

for relative movement of the crank mechanism and the carrier'in order to properly position the gripping fingers with respect to the dies.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a transfer mechanism for a machine of the character described, which transfer mechanism is provided with gripping fingers to receive and carry a work blank from onestation to another and is also provided with means to open the work-gripping fingers at the proper time inthe operation of the machine.

it over an ancuate path of substantially 180 degrees to the next station.

Means are provided to open the transfer fingers at the j proper time so that when a pair of fingers, carryingawork-piece, arrive opposite one of the die stations, they maybe opened to permit a punch or other tool, upon the advance, to push the workpiece into the die and to receive a workpiece or blank pushed out of the die. In the present instance the two transfer fingers or finger holders of a cooperating pair are pivoted and the fingers are opened by the introduction of a wedge member or splitter between-1 the upper ends of the finger holders. Each of these Wedge.

55 members is carried upon a lever operated by a connecting 5 rod or link pivoted to a second lever which carries a cam follower held in engagement with one of a-plurality of cams mounted upon a rotating shaft. It will be apparent that as the first-named levers which carry the splitters for the transfer fingers are mounted'upon the finger carrier, they are moved in an arcuate path with the latter while the second-named levers whichcarry the cam followers are mounted upon a fixed. part iof thei machine. It is, therefore, necessary to so arrange the connecting link or rod between each pair of these levers comes desirable to prevent a defective blank from being 5 Still another object of the invention is to provide a transfer mechanism of the character described wherein means are provided to hold the gripping fingers of the transfer mechanism in open position when desired in order to prevent a defective blank from being fed to the machine.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: I r Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the die block of a progressive headervor like machine showing our improved transfer mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the transfer mechanism; *Fig. 3 is a side elevational view thereof; Fig. 4 is :a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; 'Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. i; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Tovillustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention, we have shown a progressive header or like machine comprising a frame or bed 10 having a die bed 11 at the forward portion thereof. In the die bed are shown a cut-off station 12 where a length of rod or wire stock may be severed in the usual manner to form the workpiece or blank upon which the machine operates and a knock-out station 13 wherein may be mounted the usual knock-out rod to push the blank out 'of the severing knife and into the transfer fingers to be described hereinafter. It will be understood that the cut-ofi knife (not shown) may be of the usual form as may also be the mechanism for pushing the blank out of the cut-off knife intothe transfer fingers.

As illustrated, the machine is provided with four operating stations at which are mounted the dies 15, 16,.17 and 18, and associated with each of these dies or stations is a' pair of gripping fingers which are designed to be moved from one station to the next in order to transfer the blanks progressively from the push-out station to the a station 15 and thence in a step-by-step movement to the-- stations 16, 17 and 18, as is well known in the art.

As shown more especially in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, a segment gear 26 is rotatably mounted on the bed of the machine, the gear being secured to a shaft 2-1; This-gear is rocked or oscillated by means of an arm 22 secured'to th'eshaft, tothe free end of which arm is pivotally connected'the rod 23 which may be reciprocated'by any usual means from one of the shafts of the machine, such, for example, as that shown in the Schaeffer and Hoyt application, Serial No. 156,674, filed April 18; 1950; now Patent No. 2,689,361 issued Sept; 21, 1954; Also rotatably mounted upon the bed of the machine are a pair-of pinions 24; the teethof which are in mesh with thoseof the gear-20':

Each of the pinions is secured toashaft 25; and each of these shafts carries-a crank 26- to which is secureda crank pin 27.

pins 21"50 that the pin may be free to rotate withinthe block; Each of'the'blocks '28*has an upwardextension; 30 extending and fitting snugly into anopening filjina finger carrier 32. A stud 33 is threaded into the extension 30 f the block 28 and the compression spring '34 surrounds this stud and bears at its lower end upon a bracket or cap '35 securedto the carrier.

It will be noted that, as shown in Figs. 131K116, theblock 28 is disposed within a transverse opening 36in the carrier 32 and that while this block fits the opening -snugly on itsside edges, it is smaller than the opening in a Vertical dimensionjsoasto permit-a certain amount of relative movement between the block 28 which is carried byj-the crank 27 and-the carrier 32. Secured upon the upper surface of theframe of the machine by screws 37 are stop blocks 38, these blocks, as shown in Figs. Sand 6,

being adapted to, engage wear plates 39 secured tothelower surface ,of the carrier so as to properly position the carrier at the end of its stroke. It will be noted that the crank, due to the relative motion permitted between the block 28 and the carrier 32, may have a slight additional movement. Thus, even though the cranks might havea slight overtravel, the movement of the carrier may be stopped at the proper point to position the finger mechanism relatively to the die openings.

It may be noted that in the present instance there are four of the transfer finger mechanisms, each of which is mounted upon a block 40 slidably mounted in a slot 41 in the carrier 32. Adjustment of the block/ii in a vertical direction in ,theslot is efie'ctedrby means of an adjusting screw 42 threadedthroughflthe block and engagingthe upper surface of the carrier. The blocks .40 are held in place on thecarrier by means of screws-42a. A pair; of pivot .pins'43 are secured to each ofthe blocks40, and upon these pins are pivoteda pair of finger holders 44 to which are securedfingers 45. The upper ends ofjthe finger holders above. the pivot pins 43, are. crossed, as: shown, and rotatablymountedat the upper end of each of the finger holders is a roller 46. The fingers are urged toward closed position'by a torsion spring 47, the ends.

of which bear against pins 48 rigidly secured to the finger holders 44 and-the body of this spring is wrapped around abarrel 49 secured to thecarrier by the bolts"43, the

springbeing held in place by a cap 50 of slightly larger diameter than the-barrel. This cap may be formed integrally with the barrel.

Each pair-of finger holders is opened by means of awedge 51 carried at the lower end of a lever 52 pivoted at 5310 one of .thebrackets or caps 35. It will gbeiunderstood that there are two of these bracketsand, aszthere are .four of the levers 52 (one for each pair ofztransfer fingers), two of the levers will be pivoted at each ofthe brackets. As shown in Fig. 3, the wedges 51 are adjustably secured to the lower ends of the levers 52 by screws 54,]the adjustment in a direction toward and frornthe; rollers 46 bemgefiected by the-adjusting screiv55.1. It;

will'be apparent that when the levers 52' are moved from Referring moreespecially toFig: 5; a block 28 ismounted on bearings 29'on each-ofthe-crank lower gripping ends of the fingers 45 may be adjusted. By

this arrangement, the gripping ends of the fingers maybe centered over the die openings in a horizontal direction. At the upper end of each of the levers 52. is a ball joint connected to a clevis 61 by means of a slip pin 62. The center of this ball joint will thus be adapted to travel through an arc of approximatelyl80 degrees as indicated by the paths 63 (Fig. l).

The clevis 61 is adjustably secured upon the forward end of a rod or link 64; the rear endof thisrod having adjustably mounted thereon a -clevis- 65 shnilarly secured by a pin 66 to a ball joint 67"inacamlever 63 (Fig.- 3) pivoted at 69 to-a standard 7fi-mounted-upon the bed of the machine;

The lever 63 is-of bell crank-form and is provided with a forwardly extending arm 71 which -is-ur-ged toward thebed of the machineby a tension spring-72secured at one end to thearm 71 and at the-other-end to a pin 73. R0- tatablymounted on the lever 68 is 'a-cam follower 74 which is'urged by the spring72 into engagement with a cam-designated generally by the number 75, which cam is secured to the shaft-76;

by the power which actuates the machine;

It may-be noted that each of the ball joints 67 -is positioned at a point opposite the center of the corresponding arc 63 traversed by the ball joint 62 50 that each rod 64 will-form anelement of a cone having a vertex at'67 so that the movement of the carrier 32in its arcuate path carrying with-it the levers 52 will not efiect any movement of these levers orof the-wedges 51 carried thereby;

Movement ofthe wedge to open the fingers at'the proper time is-etfected by means of the lever 68 which is operated by the cam 75, the amount of opening being determined by adjusting the position of the wedge 51 with respect to the lever 52. The cam 75, as shown, comprises a fixed portion 77 keyed to the shaft 76 and two adjustable plates 79 provided with slots 80 andsecured to the fixed camp ortion 77 by -bolts 81. With this arrangement the plates 79 may beradjusted to give the optimum timing to the opening and closing of the gripping fingers 45.

Itwill beapparent that'as the cam rotates the surfaceofthe'cam portions 77 'andj79 acting against the follower -74-will move the lever 68 in a forward direction andfthrough'the rods 64; will 'rock the levers 52 to swing the wedgesSlinwardly between the rollers 46 and open the fingers. As the roller 74 is urged against the cam by the spring 72, the wedge will beretracted when the roller is in engagement with the smaller portion of the cam and permit the fingers to be closed by the springs 47.

In certain instances it is desirable to hold the transfer fingers 45 open so as to prevent them from gripping and transferring an imperfect workpiece to the first operating station of'the machine. This frequently occurs when a newicoil of 'rodor wire is being fed into the machine and the blanksevered by the cut-off knife is shorter than that required. To get ridof such a short length of stock pro: vision is made forlholding the fingers open so that it will not be gripped by them but will be dropped from the machine as scrap.

To this end a trip finger 82 ispivoted at 8310 a standard .84 upon thebedpf-the machine, this finger lying below anextension ,851011 one, ofjthe levers 68, andin this in-.

stance thelever 68 which controls the, opening and closingof the transfer fingers which feed-the material to the Itwill, of course, beunderstood that'there are four of the rods 64 (one for each pair-of transfer fingers), and likewise four-of the lovers 68 and four cams 75 on the shaft 76-which may be rotated aromas 5. first station of the machine. This trip finger is lifted from the full line position shown in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position shown in this figure by the plunger 86 of a solenoid 87 which may be energized by means of a push button (not shown) on the control panel of the machine.

When the lever 68 is moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 and the operator energizes the solenoid 87, the finger 82 will be moved to a position to stand rearwardly of the finger 85 so as to hold the corresponding rod 64 in a forward position and thus maintain in an open position the corresponding transfer fingers 45. When these fingers are opposite the push-out station 13, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and a blank is pushed from the cut-off knife when the fingers are held in open position by the tripping finger 82, the blank will be allowed to drop from the machine. When the solenoid is de-energized so as to permit the trip finger 82 to drop to its full line position, shown in Fig. 3, the transfer mechanism will be permitted to follow its normal cycle of operations and will grip the blanks when they are positioned between the fingers.

In the operation of the machine a length of stock is fed through the cut-off die 12 and a suitable length will be severed by the usual knife (not shown) and transferred by the knife to the push-out station 13 where the workpiece will be pushed out of the knife into the first pair of fingers 45 which will then be in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. The crank shafts 25, which will be oscillated by the oscillation of the gear 20, will then move the carrier 32 in an arcuate path, thus transferring the workpiece from the push-out station to the first operating station or die 15. The end position of the carrier will be determined by the stops 38 and, as explained, the cranks 26 will be permitted a slight overtravel due to the loose connection between the blocks 28 and the carrier 32. The stop 38 will, therefore, serve to position the workpiece opposite the opening in the die 15 in a vertical direction. At the same time the blanks or workpieces will be carried from each of the stations 15, 16 and 17 to the succeeding station by the other pairs of fingers 45.'

After the work operations have been performed on the blanks, the gear 20 will be oscillated in a reverse direction to move the transfer fingers rearwardly or to the left, as shown in Fig. l, to be in position to receive and transfer another workpiece. At the proper time, the levers 68 will be operated by the cams 75 which will serve to rock ,the levers 52 about their pivots and move the splitter wedges 51 in between the roller 46 to open the fingers and allow the blanks to be pushed into the dies. The ball joints at each end of the rods or links 64 will permit the levers 52 to move with the carrier 32 relatively to the levers 68 which are mounted upon a fixed part of the machine without effecting any movement of the levers 52 and wedges carried thereby except when the levers 68 are actuated by the corresponding cams.

When desired, the operator may by energizing the solenoid 87 move the trip finger 82 behind the lever 68 with which it is associated to hold the levers 68 in a forward position and thus hold the fingers in open position. As illustrated, a trip finger 82 is associated only with the lever which operates the splitter wedge controlling the transfer fingers which receive the workpiece from the push-out station 13. It will be understood, however, that a similar mechanism may be associated with the other levers if desired.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What we claim is:

l. A header or like mechanism having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a blank from one station to the carrier to effect aseparating movement of said fingers and actuating means on the frame pivotally connectedto said last-named means to actuate the same. 2. A header or like mechanism having a means for transferring a blank from one station to the next comprising an-oscillating carrier movable with respect to the dies, a plurality of pairs of cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring means to urge each pair of said fingers together to grip a blank, crank means on the frame to oscillate said carrier, means on v the carrier to effect a'separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a wedge member movable to position to force said fingers apart, and actuating-means on the frame pivotally connected to said last-named means to actuate the same.

3. A header or like mechanism having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a blank from one station to the next comprising a carrier movable with respect to the dies, a pair of finger holders carrying cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring means to urge said fingers together to grip a blank, means on the carrier to effect a separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a lever pivoted to the carrier, wedge means rigidly 1 mounted on said lever to enter between said finger holders and force the fingers apart, and actuating meanson the frame pivotally connected to said lever to actuate the latter;

4. A header or for transferring a blank from one station to the next comprising a carrier movable with respect to the dies, a pair of finger holders carrying cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring means to urge said fingers together to grip a blank, means on the carrier to effect a separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a lever pivoted to the carrier, wedge means adjustably mounted on said lever to enter between said finger holders and force saidfingersapart, and actuating means on the frame pivotally connected to said lever to actuate the latter. 6

5; A header or like mechanism having a' frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a blank from one station to the next comprising an oscillating carrier movable with respect to the dies, a plurality ofpairs of cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring means to urge each'pair of 'said fingers together to grip ablank, .crank means on the frame to oscillate the carrier, means on the carrier to effect a separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a lever pivoted on the carrier, means on said lever to force said fingers apart, actuating means for said lever carried upon the frame, and connecting means pivotally connecting said actuating means and said lever to move the latter in timed relation to the movement of the carrier.

6. A header or like mechanism having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a blank from one station to the next comprising an oscillating carrier movable with respect to the dies, a plurality of pairs of cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring means to urge each pair of said fingers together to grip a blank, crank means on the frame to oscillate the carrier, means on the carrier to effect a separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a lever pivoted on the carrier, means on said lever to force said fingers apart, cam-actuated means on the frame, means pivotally connecting said cam-actuated means to said lever to move the latter,

frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations,

, like mechanism having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means 7'." A lieaderorlike'mechanis'm: having a frameand-aplurality of dies j carried thereby at separate stations,

means fortransfe'rring a'blank from one, station to thenext'comprising'an oscillatingcarrier movable with respect to'the dies, a plurality of pairs of cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring-means to urge eachpair'of'saidfingers together-to gripa-blank, crank means on the frame to oscillatethe carrier,- means-on the carrier toetfect a separating movementof said fingers, said'meanscomprising a lever pivoted on the carrier, means'on' said leverto force said fingers apart, camactuated means on the frame, means pivotally connecting saidcarn-actuated means to said lever to move the latter,

and a cam rotatably mounted on the-frame to engagesaid cam-actuated means.

8. A header'orlikemechanism havinga frame and'a plurality of. dies" carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a' blank' from one station to the next comprising an oscillating carrier movable with respect'to the dies; aplurality'of-pairs ofcooperating transfer fingers supported by, the carrier, spring means to urge each of'said fingers togetherto' grip a blank, crank means on'the frame to oscillatethe carrier, means on the carrier. to' effect a separating movement of said fingers, said means comprising a lever'pivoted' on the carrier, means on .said lever to force said fingers apart, a second lever pivotally mounted on the frame,;cam means to actuate said'second lever, a link connecting said levers whereby actuation. of the. second lever moves the first lever. to force .the fingers apart, and the ends of said link being swiveled to saidlevers to permit oscillating movement of the carrier with respectto the frame.

9; A header or like mechanism-having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring'a blank from one station to the next comprising a carrier movable with respect to the dies, a plurality of pairs of cooperating transfer fingers supported by the carrier, spring'rneans to urge said fingers together to grip a blank, means on the carrier toetfect a separating'movement of the fingers of at least one of saidpairs, said means-comprising a wedge member movably. mounted on the, carrier, means on the frame connectedto said wedge member to move it to position to force said fingers apart, and manually actuated means to hold said wedge member in said position during the move ment of the carrier to prevent'the gripping of a blank by said fingers. V

10.1A header orlike mechanism having a frame and a pluralityof dies carried thereby at separate stations, means; for transferring a'blanlc'from one station to the next comprising a: carrier movable with respect to the dies a plurality 'of pairsof cooperating transfer fingers supported by the'carrier, spring'means to-urge said fingers together to' grip a. blank, means onthe carrier toeffect a separating movement of=the fi'ngers ofat least-oneof said pairs; said means comprising a-wedge member mov ab'lymounted oni thecarrier, means on the frame: con nected tosaid' wedge member: to move it to position to force said'fingers apart, andmanually actuated electrically- 1 operated means to hold said wedge member in said position during the movement of the carrier to prevent the grippingof ablank by said fingers.

11. A header-or like mechanism having a frame and a plurality of dies carried thereby at separate stations, means for transferring a'blank from one station to the next comprising acarrier movable with respect to. the cites, a pair of cooperating'transfer fingers supportedzby. the carrier, spring means to urge saidfingers together: to. grip a" blank, means on the carrier, to effect .a' separating movement ofsaid'fingerasaid means comprising alever. pivoted on the 'carrier, means onsaid lever-totforce saidfingers apart, a'second lever mounted on a fixed partof theframe, means connecting said'first andsecondllevrs.

to actuate the formerfrom the latter, and amanually actuated trip member adapted to engage. saidsecond lever fingers apart;v a second'lever; mountedron afixed partof the frame, means connecting said first and second levers to. actuatetheformer. from the latter, a trip member adapted to engagesaid second lever to hold it in its actu-v ated positiomto' maintain said fingers apart during the movement ofthe carrier to prevent thegripping of a blank by said fingers,aand manually operated electrical means to actuate saidtrip, member;

References Cited in thefileof'this patent UNITED-STATES PATENTS 523,560 Whitmarsh Dec. 22, 1896 2,069,511 Wilcox Feb. 2, 1937 2,074,104 Criley Mar; 16, 1937" 2,272,59,21 Wilcox Feb. 10, 1942 2,272,758 Wilcox et a1, Feb. 10, 1942' 2,328,699 Wilcox Sept. 7, 1943' 2,544,218. Burdsall' Mar. 6, 1951 Friedman Aug. 31, v1954 

